FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Publish in a journal trusted by the global microbial ecology community
A cornerstone of microbial ecology, FEMS Microbiology Ecology publishes high-quality research that reveals how microbes influence ecosystems and respond to environmental change. The journal showcases work across the full landscape of microbial ecology, from soil and aquatic environments to extreme and engineered systems. Researchers turn to FEMS Microbiology Ecology for its long-standing reputation, global readership, and scientist-led editorial approach, which keeps the focus on relevance and rigour while fostering a publication environment grounded in community values and initiatives.
Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Max Häggblom, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
Highlights: Community journal | Built by and for the field | Open access | Regular free webinars | Format-free submission
- Why choose FEMS Microbiology Ecology ?
- Is your research the right fit?
- Recent highlights
- Recent webinars
- Quick facts
- Meet the editorial leadership
- Building resilience for a thriving planet
- Publish with purpose. Publish with FEMS
Why choose FEMS Microbiology Ecology?
✅ Open access for maximum visibility and uptake
All articles are fully open access, ensuring your work is immediately available to the global microbiology community without subscription barriers.
✅ Expert editorial oversight and constructive peer review
Manuscripts are handled by active researchers with deep subject expertise, with a focus on supportive feedback.
✅ A trusted, field-defining ecology journal
The journal is well-known for its focus on original research that advances microbial ecology across diverse environments.
✅ An active hub to engage with the discipline
Through thematic issues and regular webinars that drive field-focused discussions, the journal creates space for researchers to exchange ideas and explore emerging topics.
Is your research the right fit?
To advance microbial ecology across environments, the journal seeks studies that:
- Make a significant, original contribution to microbial ecology
- Investigate microorganisms in soil, aquatic, atmospheric, extreme, natural, managed, or artificial systems
- Explore community dynamics, ecological interactions, biogeochemical processes, or ecosystem-level implications
- Provide ecological insight from pure culture studies with clear broader ecological relevance
- Contribute to conceptual development via MiniReviews, Perspectives, or topical discussions in microbial ecology
Still unsure? Get in touch to discuss your manuscript’s suitability before submission at info@fems-microbiology.org.
Recent highlights
Thematic Issue: Microbial Electron Transport
Manuscripts advancing our understanding of microbial respiration and electron transport across environmental and applied systems.
Thematic Issue: Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Contributions centering on microbial communities and ecological processes in marine and freshwater environments.
Thematic Issue: Thermophiles
New insights into thermophilic microorganisms including diversity, phylogeny, genome evolution, OMICS approaches, and viral interactions.
Recent webinars:
Quick facts
- Publishing Model: Open access
- Article Types: Research articles, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, Current Opinion and Commentary Articles.
- Review Process: Single anonymised peer review. Once a submitted manuscript passes initial assessment by the Editor-in-Chief, it will then be assigned to a handling editor to undergo peer review before making the final decision. During the peer review phase, your manuscript is typically sent to two reviewers.
- Transfer options: To help authors avoid unnecessary delays and resubmissions, authors with manuscripts that demonstrate scientific robustness but are not the best fit for the journal’s scope may be offered the option to transfer to FEMS Microbes. Please note, transfer does not imply acceptance, and the manuscript will be subject to editorial evaluation and peer review.
Meet the editorial leadership
Building resilience for a thriving planet
Our planet is our responsibility. FEMS Microbiology Ecology actively contributes to global conversations by participating in joint editorials and initiatives that address urgent environmental challenges.
Publish with purpose. Publish with FEMS.
The FEMS journal portfolio spans the full spectrum of microbiology, publishing rigorous, society-backed research from fundamental discovery to real-world application.
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Open access is key to supporting the FEMS mission of disseminating high quality research as widely as possible: when high quality, peer reviewed sound science is open access, anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connection, can read it. All but one of the not-for-profit FEMS journals are fully open access (OA), with one journal, FEMS Microbiology Letters, offering free-to-publish and OA options.
